Generally if you lost anything in Germany, first check in the local “lost and found”. Somebody might have already brought it there.
Germany’s lost and found service
Throughout Germany, you’ll find many lost and found services. If you google ‘lost and found service’ in the city where you lost the license, you should see many private services like Verlustsache, Faundit, etc. You can register in one of them and wait. They’ll return your lost driving license as and when they find it for a small fee. The fee depends on the service you register in.
Lost driving license in Deutsche Bahn
If you lost your driving license or any other items in a train operated by Deutsche Bahn or in one of the stations, you can report the incident in the lost property service of Deutsche Bahn.
You may have to pay a handling charge to Deutsche Bahn for searching and returning the lost item. Deutsche Bahn also offers to send the item via Deutsche Post. However, you may have to pay an additional fee for this service. Check out the Faq page of Deutsche Bahn portal for the details on fees.
Reporting the lost driving license in Germany
If you find your driving license is lost or stolen, you have to contact your local driving license authority and provide evidences to get a duplicate license or a new one.
If you lost it, you have to write a detailed statement about how and where you lost it and you have to assure that if you find it at a later point of time, you will return it to the driver’s license office.
You need to contact the polizei (local police) If it was stolen and get a theft report.
What to do if your foreign driver’s license is lost in Germany
Similarly, if your license was issued by a foreign country, but you lost it while you were in Germany, you need to follow the same steps as mentioned above. Due to the fact that your driver's license was not issued in Germany, the German authorities will contact the issuing authority where your license was issued in order to obtain your information.
You have a high chance to get a replacement.
Documents required
If the license is stolen, a written statement aligned with a police theft report
A photo identity proof
A biometric passport photo
Your replacement driving license will be ready within three to four weeks depending on the rush in the issuing authority in Germany.
On your way to Germany
You can find all the information you need about living and working in Germany at www.expatova.com.
